Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)

Bukhari :: Book 5 :: Volume 59 :: Hadith 462

Narrated 'Aisha:

Whenever Allah's Apostle intended to go on a journey, he used to
draw lots amongst his wives, and Allah's Apostle used to take with
him the one on whom lot fell. He drew lots amongst us during one of
the Ghazwat which he fought. The lot fell on me and so I proceeded
with Allah's Apostle after Allah's order of veiling (the women) had
been revealed. I was carried (on the back of a camel) in my howdah
and carried down while still in it (when we came to a halt). So we
went on till Allah's Apostle had finished from that Ghazwa of his
and returned.

When we approached the city of Medina he announced at night that
it was time for departure. So when they announced the news of
departure, I got up and went away from the army camps, and after
finishing from the call of nature, I came back to my riding animal.
I touched my chest to find that my necklace which was made of Zifar
beads (i.e. Yemenite beads partly black and partly white) was
missing. So I returned to look for my necklace and my search for it
detained me. (In the meanwhile) the people who used to carry me on
my camel, came and took my howdah and put it on the back of my
camel on which I used to ride, as they considered that I was in it.
In those days women were light in weight for they did not get fat,
and flesh did not cover their bodies in abundance as they used to
eat only a little food. Those people therefore, disregarded the
lightness of the howdah while lifting and carrying it; and at that
time I was still a young girl. They made the camel rise and all of
them left (along with it). I found my necklace after the army had
gone.

Then I came to their camping place to find no call maker of
them, nor one who would respond to the call. So I intended to go to
the place where I used to stay, thinking that they would miss me
and come back to me (in my search). While I was sitting in my
resting place, I was overwhelmed by sleep and slept. Safwan bin
Al-Muattal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani was behind the army. When he
reached my place in the morning, he saw the figure of a sleeping
person and he recognized me on seeing me as he had seen me before
the order of compulsory veiling (was prescribed). So I woke up when
he recited Istirja' (i.e. "Inna lillahi wa inna llaihi raji'un") as
soon as he recognized me. I veiled my face with my head cover at
once, and by Allah, we did not speak a single word, and I did not
hear him saying any word besides his Istirja'. He dismounted from
his camel and made it kneel down, putting his leg on its front legs
and then I got up and rode on it. Then he set out leading the camel
that was carrying me till we overtook the army in the extreme heat
of midday while they were at a halt (taking a rest). (Because of
the event) some people brought destruction upon themselves and the
one who spread the Ifk (i.e. slander) more, was 'Abdullah bin Ubai
Ibn Salul."

(Urwa said, "The people propagated the slander and talked about
it in his (i.e. 'Abdullah's) presence and he confirmed it and
listened to it and asked about it to let it prevail." Urwa also
added, "None was mentioned as members of the slanderous group
besides ('Abdullah) except Hassan bin Thabit and Mistah bin Uthatha
and Hamna bint Jahsh along with others about whom I have no
knowledge, but they were a group as Allah said. It is said that the
one who carried most of the slander was 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin
Salul." Urwa added, "'Aisha disliked to have Hassan abused in her
presence and she used to say, 'It was he who said: My father and
his (i.e. my father's) father and my honor are all for the
protection of Muhammad's honor from you.").

'Aisha added, "After we returned to Medina, I became ill for a
month. The people were propagating the forged statements of the
slanderers while I was unaware of anything of all that, but I felt
that in my present ailment, I was not receiving the same kindness
from Allah's Apostle as I used to receive when I got sick. (But
now) Allah's Apostle would only come, greet me and say,' How is
that (lady)?' and leave. That roused my doubts, but I did not
discover the evil (i.e. slander) till I went out after my
convalescence, I went out with Um Mistah to Al-Manasi' where we
used to answer the call of nature and we used not to go out (to
answer the call of nature) except at night, and that was before we
had latrines near our houses. And this habit of our concerning
evacuating the bowels, was similar to the habits of the old 'Arabs
living in the deserts, for it would be troublesome for us to take
latrines near our houses. So I and Um Mistah who was the daughter
of Abu Ruhm bin Al-Muttalib bin Abd Manaf, whose mother was the
daughter of Sakhr bin 'Amir and the aunt of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq and
whose son was Mistah bin Uthatha bin 'Abbas bin Al-Muttalib, went
out. I and Um Mistah returned to my house after we finished
answering the call of nature. Um Mistah stumbled by getting her
foot entangled in her covering sheet and on that she said, 'Let
Mistah be ruined!' I said, 'What a hard word you have said. Do you
abuse a man who took part in the battle of Badr?' On that she said,
'O you Hantah! Didn't you hear what he (i.e. Mistah) said? 'I said,
'What did he say?'

Then she told me the slander of the people of Ifk. So my ailment
was aggravated, and when I reached my home, Allah's Apostle came to
me, and after greeting me, said, 'How is that (lady)?' I said,
'Will you allow me to go to my parents?' as I wanted to be sure
about the news through them. Allah's Apostle allowed me (and I went
to my parents) and asked my mother, 'O mother! What are the people
talking about?' She said, 'O my daughter! Don't worry, for scarcely
is there a charming woman who is loved by her husband and whose
husband has other wives besides herself that they (i.e. women)
would find faults with her.' I said, 'Subhan-Allah! (I testify the
uniqueness of Allah). Are the people really talking in this way?' I
kept on weeping that night till dawn I could neither stop weeping
nor sleep then in the morning again, I kept on weeping. When the
Divine Inspiration was delayed.

Allah's Apostle called 'Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaid to
ask and consult them about divorcing me. Usama bin Zaid said what
he knew of my innocence, and the respect he preserved in himself
for me. Usama said, '(O Allah's Apostle!) She is your wife and we
do not know anything except good about her.' 'Ali bin Abi Talib
said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Allah does not put you in difficulty and
there are plenty of women other than she, yet, ask the maid-servant
who will tell you the truth.' On that Allah's Apostle called Barira
(i.e. the maid-servant) and said, 'O Barira! Did you ever see
anything which aroused your suspicion?' Barira said to him, 'By Him
Who has sent you with the Truth. I have never seen anything in her
(i.e. Aisha) which I would conceal, except that she is a young girl
who sleeps leaving the dough of her family exposed so that the
domestic goats come and eat it.'

So, on that day, Allah's Apostle got up on the pulpit and
complained about 'Abdullah bin Ubai (bin Salul) before his
companions, saying, 'O you Muslims! Who will relieve me from that
man who has hurt me with his evil statement about my family? By
Allah, I know nothing except good about my family and they have
blamed a man about whom I know nothing except good and he used
never to enter my home except with me.' Sad bin Mu'adh the brother
of Banu 'Abd Al-Ashhal got up and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! I will
relieve you from him; if he is from the tribe of Al-Aus, then I
will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, i.e.
Al-Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.' On
that, a man from Al-Khazraj got up. Um Hassan, his cousin, was from
his branch tribe, and he was Sad bin Ubada, chief of Al-Khazraj.
Before this incident, he was a pious man, but his love for his
tribe goaded him into saying to Sad (bin Mu'adh). 'By Allah, you
have told a lie; you shall not and cannot kill him. If he belonged
to your people, you would not wish him to be killed.'

On that, Usaid bin Hudair who was the cousin of Sad (bin Mu'adh)
got up and said to Sad bin 'Ubada, 'By Allah! You are a liar! We
will surely kill him, and you are a hypocrite arguing on the behalf
of hypocrites.' On this, the two tribes of Al-Aus and Al Khazraj
got so much excited that they were about to fight while Allah's
Apostle was standing on the pulpit. Allah's Apostle kept on
quietening them till they became silent and so did he. All that day
I kept on weeping with my tears never ceasing, and I could never
sleep.

In the morning my parents were with me and I wept for two nights
and a day with my tears never ceasing and I could never sleep till
I thought that my liver would burst from weeping. So, while my
parents were sitting with me and I was weeping, an Ansari woman
asked me to grant her admittance. I allowed her to come in, and
when she came in, she sat down and started weeping with me. While
we were in this state, Allah's Apostle came, greeted us and sat
down. He had never sat with me since that day of the slander. A
month had elapsed and no Divine Inspiration came to him about my
case. Allah's Apostle then recited Tashah-hud and then said, 'Amma
Badu, O 'Aisha! I have been informed so-and-so about you; if you
are innocent, then soon Allah will reveal your innocence, and if
you have committed a sin, then repent to Allah and ask Him for
forgiveness for when a slave confesses his sins and asks Allah for
forgiveness, Allah accepts his repentance.'

When Allah's Apostle finished his speech, my tears ceased
flowing completely that I no longer felt a single drop of tear
flowing. I said to my father, 'Reply to Allah's Apostle on my
behalf concerning what he has said.' My father said, 'By Allah, I
do not know what to say to Allah's Apostle .' Then I said to my
mother, 'Reply to Allah's Apostle on my behalf concerning what he
has said.' She said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to
Allah's Apostle.' In spite of the fact that I was a young girl and
had a little knowledge of Quran, I said, 'By Allah, no doubt I know
that you heard this (slanderous) speech so that it has been planted
in your hearts (i.e. minds) and you have taken it as a truth. Now
if I tell you that I am innocent, you will not believe me, and if
confess to you about it, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you
will surely believe me. By Allah, I find no similitude for me and
you except that of Joseph's father when he said, '(For me) patience
in the most fitting against that which you assert; it is Allah
(Alone) Whose Help can be sought.' Then I turned to the other side
and lay on my bed; and Allah knew then that I was innocent and
hoped that Allah would reveal my innocence. But, by Allah, I never
thought that Allah would reveal about my case, Divine Inspiration,
that would be recited (forever) as I considered myself too unworthy
to be talked of by Allah with something of my concern, but I hoped
that Allah's Apostle might have a dream in which Allah would prove
my innocence. But, by Allah, before Allah's Apostle left his seat
and before any of the household left, the Divine inspiration came
to Allah's Apostle.

So there overtook him the same hard condition which used to
overtake him, (when he used to be inspired Divinely). The sweat was
dropping from his body like pearls though it was a wintry day and
that was because of the weighty statement which was being revealed
to him. When that state of Allah's Apostle was over, he got up
smiling, and the first word he said was, 'O 'Aisha! Allah has
declared your innocence!' Then my Mother said to me, 'Get up and go
to him (i.e. Allah's Apostle). I replied, 'By Allah, I will not go
to him, and I praise none but Allah. So Allah revealed the ten
Verses:-- "Verily! They who spread the slander Are a gang, among
you............." (24.11-20)

Allah revealed those Quranic Verses to declare my innocence. Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq who used to disburse money for Mistah bin Uthatha
because of his relationship to him and his poverty, said, 'By
Allah, I will never give to Mistah bin Uthatha anything after what
he has said about Aisha.' Then Allah revealed:--

"And let not those among you who are good and wealthy swear not
to give (any sort of help) to their kinsmen, those in need, and
those who have left their homes for Allah's cause, let them pardon
and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And
Allah is oft-Forgiving Most Merciful." (24.22)

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said, 'Yes, by Allah, I would like that Allah
forgive me.' and went on giving Mistah the money he used to give
him before. He also added, 'By Allah, I will never deprive him of
it at all.'

Aisha further said:." Allah's Apostle also asked Zainab bint
Jahsh (i.e. his wife) about my case. He said to Zainab, 'What do
you know and what did you see?" She replied, "O Allah's Apostle! I
refrain from claiming falsely that I have heard or seen anything.
By Allah, I know nothing except good (about 'Aisha).' From amongst
the wives of the Prophet Zainab was my peer (in beauty and in the
love she received from the Prophet) but Allah saved her from that
evil because of her piety. Her sister Hamna, started struggling on
her behalf and she was destroyed along with those who were
destroyed. The man who was blamed said, 'Subhan-Allah! By Him in
Whose Hand my soul is, I have never uncovered the cover (i.e. veil)
of any female.' Later on the man was martyred in Allah's
Cause."